Forethought: Nightmare Scenario
by KuryakinGirl
Summary: If she made it home alive... 25 post-ep


Disclaimer-Characters belong to Aaron Sorkin. No copyright infringement intended. Any similarity to events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.  
  
Author's Notes-To the Sirens, with much love as always. To the 'Crew... I'll cycle through to romance again soon. I hope. I haven't gotten there yet, so please hang on... Thanks to Jenni and the Admiral for the beta.  
  
Spoilers--MWOO and a post-ep to 25.  
  
Feedback-always greatly appreciated.  
  
Archive-Let me know first, thanks.  
  
Forethought: Nightmare Scenario-If she made it home alive...  
  
She sat on the floor, her knees drawn to her chest, her chin on her knee.  
  
If she made it home alive, things were going to be different.  
  
She'd tell Charlie how she felt about him. How she trusted him. He'd always been straightforward with her and she hadn't always been with him... And Jean-Paul certainly hadn't been straightforward with her! She wracked her brain to find a single time when he had and she couldn't locate one.  
  
If she made it home alive, she'd tell Charlie she'd been wrong. And that she loved him.  
  
Her life would have purpose and meaning. She'd tour the country, go on a lecture circuit and extol the virtues of avoiding drugs to teenagers apt to make her mistake. She'd caution girls to be more careful at parties, never to take a drink if they didn't know from what previously *sealed* container it had come from.  
  
If she made it home alive, she'd leave the partying scene for good.  
  
She'd outgrown the party scene with hits of hidden Ecstasy in her drink and a bullet to one of her Secret Service agents' head. She'd spend more time with her parents, her sisters, and her niece. She'd tell her dad she'd survived their nightmare scenario.  
  
If she made it home alive...  
  
~~~  
  
He sat on the steps to the Rose Garden, his head down, his legs stretched out in front of him.  
  
If she made it home alive, he'd never let her out of his sight.  
  
He'd make up for being stupid and telling her to go to the party with the snooty French prince who'd taken his place in her life. He wanted that place back. He had ever since he'd lost it the first time.  
  
If she made it home alive, he'd tell her he was wrong. And that he loved her.  
  
He'd make every moment count. He'd make up for lost time. He'd make damn sure he didn't lose yet another woman he cared about because he wasn't sure his heart could take it. His mother... His surrogate mother in Mrs. Landingham... The love of his life...  
  
If she made it home alive, he'd survive.  
  
He would consider--strongly--quitting if it meant he could spend time with her. And Deena. If that's what it took to get her back, he'd do it in a heartbeat. No questions asked. No hesitations. No regrets.  
  
If she made it home alive...  
  
~~~  
  
He was on his knees, a rosary in his hands, his eyes closed.  
  
If she made it home alive, he'd bargain with God for anything.  
  
He had sacrificed his presidency for the safe return of his daughter. He'd removed himself from temptation: to bring the full force of American military might against those who had his daughter. He wanted to bargain with God instead.  
  
If she made it home alive, he told God the MS could take him instead.  
  
That was his little girl out there. Alone and scared and potentially being tortured if not killed... That was one of his three princesses... the baby. His baby. The one whose little finger he'd been mostly wrapped around for her entire existence.  
  
If she made it home alive, he'd give the ultimate sacrifice if that's what it took.  
  
'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Just... let this hour not be hers.'  
  
If she made it home alive...  
  
~~~  
  
She sat numbly, her heart shattered. She was in a state of shock.  
  
If she made it home alive, she was still willing to make a deal with the devil to ensure it.  
  
In her mind, she combined the details of all the top-secret information she knew, things she and her husband had talked about. Things she'd overheard. Her head was a wealth of information.  
  
If she made it home alive, she'd tell them everything she knew.  
  
She couldn't get the rational part of her mind to completely take over. She couldn't let her youngest daughter remain in the custody of terrorists, at their unholy mercy.  
  
If she made it home alive, she'd be just as bad as the men who took her daughter...  
  
Deep down she did know that. America does not negotiate with terrorists. That's been a long-standing policy but she doesn't care. She'd wear the term as a badge of honor and pay the consequences for her actions gladly.  
  
If she made it home alive...  
  
End. 


End file.
